WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/L/627 
11 November 2005 
 (05-5315) 
   
 
 
   
ACCESSION OF THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA 
 
Decision of 11 November 2005 
 The General Council, 
 Having regard  to paragraph 2 of Article XII and para graph 1 of Article IX of the Marrakesh 
Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organiza tion (the "WTO Agreement"), and the Decision-
Making Procedures under Articles IX and XII of th e WTO Agreement agreed by the General Council 
(WT/L/93). 
 Conducting  the functions of the Ministerial Conference in the interval between meetings 
pursuant to paragraph 2 of Article IV of the WTO Agreement, 
 Taking note of the application of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for accession to the WTO 
Agreement dated 21 December 1995, 
 Noting the results of the negotiations directed toward the establishment of the terms of 
accession of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the WTO Agreement and having prepared a Protocol on 
the Accession of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 
 Decides  as follows: 
1.  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia may accede to the WTO Agreement on the terms and 
conditions set out in the Protoc ol annexed to this Decision. 
_______________ WT/L/627 
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 PROTOCOL 
ON THE ACCESSION OF THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA 
Preamble
 
 The World Trade Organization (hereinafter referred to as the "WTO"), pursuant to the 
approval of the General Council of the WTO accorded under Article XII of  the Marrakesh Agreement 
Establishing the World Trade Organization (hereinaft er referred to as the "WTO Agreement"), and the 
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,  
 Taking note  of the Report of the Working Party on the Accession of the Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia to the WTO Agreement reproduced in document WT/ACC/SAU/61, dated 1 November 2005 (hereinafter referred to as the "Working Party Report"), 
 Having regard  to the results of the negotiations on the accession of the Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia to the WTO Agreement,  
 Agree  as follows: 
PART I - GENERAL 
1.  Upon entry into force of this Protocol pursu ant to paragraph 8, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
accedes to the WTO Agreement pursuan t to Article XII of that Agreement and thereby becomes a 
Member of the WTO.  
2.  The WTO Agreement to which the Kingdom  of Saudi Arabia accedes shall be the WTO 
Agreement, including the Explanatory Notes to that  Agreement, as rectified, amended or otherwise 
modified by such legal instruments as may have entere d into force before the date of entry into force 
of this Protocol.  This Protocol, which shall in clude the commitments referred to in paragraph 315  of 
the Working Party Report, shall be an integral part of the WTO Agreement. 
3.  Except as otherwise provided for in para graph 315 of the Working Party Report, those 
obligations in the Multilateral Trade Agreements annexed to the WTO Agreement that are to be 
implemented over a period of time starting with the entry into force of that Agreement shall be 
implemented by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as if it had accepted that Agreement on the date of its entry into force. 
4.  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia may maintain a measure inconsistent with paragraph 1 of 
Article II of the GATS provided that such a measure was recorded in the list of Article II Exemptions 
annexed to this Protocol and meets the cond itions of the Annex to the GATS on Article II 
Exemptions. 
PART II - SCHEDULES 
5.  The Schedules reproduced in Annex I to th is Protocol shall become the Schedule of 
Concessions and Commitments annexed to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 
(hereinafter referred to as the "GATT 1994") and th e Schedule of Specific Commitments annexed to 
the General Agreement on Trade in Services (herei nafter referred to as "GATS") relating to the 
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  The staging of the c oncessions and commitments listed in the Schedules 
shall be implemented as specified in the re levant parts of the respective Schedules.  WT/L/627 
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 6.  For the purpose of the reference in paragra ph 6(a) of Article II of the GATT 1994 to the date 
of that Agreement, the applicable date in resp ect of the Schedules of Concessions and Commitments 
annexed to this Protocol shall be the date  of entry into force of this Protocol. 
PART III - FINAL PROVISIONS 
7.  This Protocol shall be open for acceptance, by signature or otherwise, by the Kingdom of 
Saudi Arabia until 31 December 2005. 
8.  This Protocol shall enter into force on th e thirtieth day following the day upon which it shall 
have been accepted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  
9.  This Protocol shall be deposited with the Director-General of the WTO.  The Director-
General of the WTO shall promptly furnish a certifie d copy of this Protocol and a notification of 
acceptance by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia thereto pursuant to paragraph 9 to each Member of the 
WTO and to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  
 This Protocol shall be registered in accord ance with the provisions of Article 102 of the 
Charter of the United Nations.  
 Done at Geneva  this eleventh day of November, two thou sand and five in a single copy in the 
English, French and Spanish languages, each text  being authentic, except that a Schedule annexed 
hereto may specify that it is authentic in only one of these languages. 
_______________ 
 WT/L/627 
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 ANNEX I 
SCHEDULE CLVIII - THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA 
Authentic only in the English language. 
(Circulated in document WT/ACC/SAU/61/Add.1) 
_______________ 
SCHEDULE OF SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS ON SERVICES 
LIST OF ARTICLE II EXEMPTIONS 
Authentic only in the English language. 
(Circulated in document WT/ACC/ SAU/61/Add.2) 
__________